Researchers from Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University in China announced on Mar. 24 a new process that makes it easier to produce exosomes, which are tiny particles released by cells and being explored as a medical treatment. The findings were published in the journal Advanced Science.
Exosomes are naturally produced by cells and can help repair tissues or regulate the immune system. Unlike living cell therapies, exosomes do not divide or mutate over time, making them safer and less likely to cause side effects such as tumor growth. Scientists can also engineer these particles for enhanced therapeutic effect.
Dr Gang Ruan of Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University's Wisdom Lake Academy of Pharmacy led the study. "The field of cell therapy is really starting to change medicine," Ruan said. "We have seen successes with stem cells repairing damaged tissues and immune cells fighting cancer. An engineered exosome is like a supercharged version of a natural exosome. You can think of it like Iron Man or Captain America – enhanced versions of humans after engineering."
The team developed a nanoparticle-based platform that allows mesenchymal stem cells to release more exosomes than usual while automatically loading drugs and magnetic particles into them during formation. A new magnetic technique called mobile internal magnetic separation (MIMS) enables quick collection even at large scales, overcoming previous bottlenecks in production efficiency.
The resulting product has what researchers describe as a "Russian doll"-like structure: drug-in-nanoparticle-in-exosome, allowing high drug payloads without damaging stability. The nanoparticle core also enables imaging and tracking inside biological environments.
Testing showed effectiveness across several disease models including Parkinson's disease, pulmonary fibrosis, wound healing, heart failure, and polycystic ovary syndrome. "We found that this approach works across multiple diseases," Ruan said. "It's not only practical and scalable but also maintains consistent quality, which is essential for industrial use, and could help patients gain faster access to safer and more effective engineered exosome therapies." He added: "It took years of cross-field teamwork in the Jiangsu key lab to bring this project to life. And the collaborations with our clinical partners...were instrumental too."
